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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/18/2011, B5 - 2010 ANNUAL TRAFFIC SAFETY REPORT council °°°° 10/18/2011 j acEnaa aEpont 5 C I T Y O F S A N 1. U I S O R I S P O FROM: Jay D. Walter, Director of Public Worksze Deborah Linden, Police Chief pV Prepared By: Jake Hudson,Traffic Operations Manager SUBJECT: 2010 ANNUAL TRAFFIC SAFETY REPORT RECOMMENDATION Receive and discuss the 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Report and associated mitigation strategies. REPORT-IN-BRIEF As part of the City's Traffic Safety Program, the Public Works and Police Departments have completed the 2010 L2010-Traffic Safety Report annual Traffic Safety Report (TSR). In 2010, total collisions 27 .—Statistics were down 12% and injury collisions were down from 2009. • 12%reduction in reported In 2010 there was one traffic related fatality, an intoxicated collisions from 2009 • pedestrian crossing rrnidblock on Santa Barbara Street that 1%reduction in reported injury collisions from 2009 was struck by a bus, this was the first traffic related fatality . 12 year historical low on City streets since 2006. These statistics reflect a continuing downward trend in collisions within the City, as compared to State and national statistics. Since the City initiated the Traffic Safety Report in 2002, traffic collisions have continued on a downward trend and 2010 is the lowest on record despite an overall increase in City-wide traffic volumes. Since the program began in 2002 traffic collisions on City streets have been reduced by over 50%. The TSR reviews all intersections and street segments in the City for collision rates and patterns in addition to enforcement activities for the calendar year 2010. Based on this traffic information, recommendations are made for altering or monitoring the five most critical locations of each intersection and street segment classification. Of these locations the most notable are: Monterey & Santa Rosa, Broad & Marsh, High/Pismo & Higuera, Broad & Industrial, South & Parker-, Osos & Pacific,Marsh&Morro,and Calle Joaquin&LOVR. This report marks yet another significant milestone in the City's outstanding history in traffic safety efforts. Since the traffic safety program began in 2002, over 200 minor and 17 major traffic safety projects have been completed or are currently under construction. Due to the City's investment in these projects, coupled with ongoing enforcement activities, traffic collisions are down by more than 50% since the safety program began in 2002. In 2009 the City received the International Institute of Traffic Engineers Public Agency Achievement Award for excellence in Traffic Safety for this program. This is one of the highest and most prestigious awards internationally a public agency can receive for its transportation engineering practices. Recognition at this level is particularly special for the City of San Luis B5-1 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Report Pa-ge 2 Obispo because it is typically received by State transportation departments or major metropolitan organizations. The City of San Luis Obispo is the smallest agency to receive recognition at this level. DISCUSSION TSR Overview The collision data and corresponding analysis for the current report was compiled and completed by the Public Works and Police Departments in October 2011. The TSR identifies patterns at the highest collision rate locations of similar classification. Staff then narrowed each list and analyzed the top five locations to identify possible mitigations to address safety issues. For example, all arterial segments are compared to each other to establish the highest rated locations that will potentially receive consideration for mitigation or safety improvements. The analysis technique utilizes an advanced collision records software program that aids staff in determining collision patterns and potential corrective measures. In order to determine if corrective measures could reduce the likelihood of a collision type identified in the pattern, a comprehensive review of each location is conducted, including a survey of the field conditions and travel behavior. The significance of a location's "collision rate" is that it is a "normalized" indicator when comparing intersections or street segments. Under most conditions, the more vehicles entering the intersection, the more likely a collision is to occur. The collision rate is the ratio between the volume of vehicles and the number of collisions. Collision rates are used by police departments to target traffic enforcement and by engineers to establish traffic safety mitigation measures. Collision statistics within this report are based on actual police reports. While the TSR reviewed numerous high collision rate locations, many high incident locations were in construction zones or other temporary situations that no longer exist. As such, many locations have received a recommendation for continued monitoring. The 2010 TSR makes eleven recommendations to improve traffic safety at the remaining high collision rate locations. Nine of these eleven recommendations are either relatively low cost measures or higher cost measures that are already funded as part of other approved projects. Two recommendations will require further analysis and public outreach those include a potential left turn restriction from Parker to South Street and traffic signal warrant analysis at the intersection of Osos& Pacific. TSR Results & Safety Trends—Measured Improvements over Time The benefits of investing in projects to correct the problems at the City's high collision locations and prioritizing increased enforcement are clear. In 2010, the number of reported collisions was the lowest in the ten years of the traffic safety program. There were 597 total collisions reported in 2010, approximately 12% lower than the previous 12-month period. Figure 3.1 of the TSR shows the twelve-year comparison of total traffic collisions that have been reported within the City of San Luis Obispo. B5-2 o 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Resort Page 3 Figure 3.1 -Twelve Year Coinion Trend 1300 1255 1206 ' 1200 1142 ' 109 r— 1089 N 1100102 1000 910 -o 900 �865 787 800 G t- 700 ; 597 600 500 1999 2000 2001 :2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year Beginning of Safely Program 'Foothill Bndge Closed Throughout 2004 Prior to 2002, when the TSR and traffic safety program was initiated, traffic collisions had been on an upward trend in San Luis Obispo. Since that time, the number of reported collisions has declined annually except in 2004, when traffic collisions spiked due to an increase in construction, including the Foothill Bridge closure and major construction activity, such as the County Administration Building, Court Street Project, 919 Palm Street Parking Structure, and many seismic retrofit projects within the downtown. The reported collisions in 2010 were the lowest recorded since 1999, when the City Public Works Department started collision tracking. Injury collisions (a primary benchmark of traffic safety indices due to their higher likelihood of being reported) were down in 2010 by about I% compared to 2009. This is the lowest number on record for the Traffic Safety Report and is below levels recorded in 1999. Figure 3.2 shows an eleven year trend of injury collisions within the City of San Luis Obispo. Feme&Z1-Twelve Year injury CoMsion Trend 340 .-0 320 : 309 307 315 ' 0 300 : 85 0 280 269 257 260 240 240 237 235 233 220 200 1999 2000 2001 ; 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Beginning of Safety Program Year •Foothill Bridge Closed Throughout 2004 B5-3 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Resort !J Pa-ge 4 2010 Fatalities There was one roadway fatality in 2010, the first since 2006. This collision involved an intoxicated pedestrian crossing Santa Barbara Street just north of Roundhouse, the individual crossed directly in front of an oncoming bus and was struck by that bus. High collision rates may be indicative of deficient roadway conditions that may be correctable by mitigation, however fatality locations are often times sporadic in location and are the result of unique conditions which are not correctable. Fatality analysis, while very important, should not be the sole focus for safety mitigations because individual collisions may not reflect broader factors causing collisions or leading to correctible measures. Traffic fatalities are often high profile incidents that receive the most attention from the public, media and Council. Over the past twelve years, the City has averaged 1.6 fatalities per year. F y��erg 3=-Twelve Year Fatal Collision Trend c 5 I 4 0 4 :0 3 2 U 2 ,i 1 0 0 0 0 0 1999 2000 2001 ; 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year Beginning ofSafm Program 2010 Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Review In general, the number of annual pedestrian collisions tends to fluctuate up and down as seen over the past twelve years. There were 22 pedestrian-related collisions reported in 2010, 8% lower than the previous year. Of these collsions, 64% were caused by the motor vehicle involved in the crash. Figure 3.6 of the TSR shows the annual comparison of total pedestrian collisions. Fgtme 3.6-1999.2010 Pedestrian Collision Trend 45 40 17 - - - — ----- 35 -- 30 u° 25 20 - Y d 15 10 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year Bicycle collisions have been on an upward trend over the past tweleve years. However in 2010, bicycle collisions were 4% lower than the previous year, with 69 total bicycle related collisions B5-4 O O 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Report Pape 5 reported. The overall upward trend in bicycle collisions is somewhat expected as the volume of cyclists City-wide has increased by approximately 10% annually. Of these collisions, 44% were caused by the cyclist involved in the crash. Figure 3.7 of the TSR shows the annual comparison of total bicycle collisions. F pue&7-1999-2010 Bicycle Coln ions 100 c 80 - — — — 60 2_ 0 —45_ — V - ar 4020 _ - V 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year Although pedestrian and bicycle collisions have been increasing over the past few years, these collisions are often difficult to mitigate. This is because they are primarily non-correctable incidents attributed to cyclist, driver, and/or pedestrian negligence or disregard for vehicle code requirements. To address this concern, the Public Works Department has developed a public education campaign involving public service announcements (PSA) on Channel 20 and at the downtown movie theaters. These PSAs address the predominant bicycle and pedestrian collision types occurring in the City and suggest how to avoid them. In addition, the Police Department hosts the "Bicycle Rodeo", an annual bicycle safety education event that teaches proper bicycle riding techniques to children in the community. A "Safe Routes to School" campaign is being developed County-wide to assist in promoting safer bicycle and walking habits. Comparison with National & State Rates As part of the Public Works Performance Audit it was recommended by Matrix Consulting to include rankings provided by the Office of Traffic Safety. However the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has given specific direction to the City not to use their statistics when more accurate collision data has been generated at the local level. This is because OTS ranking statistics are collected at the state level and subject to inaccuracies from jurisdictional miscoding and agency reporting errors. In the spirit of their recommendation the City instead now includes detailed collision rate trend comparisons with State and National Statistics. Prior to this Annual.Traffic Safety Program the City's collision rate was rising by approximately 10% annually as compared to National and California State rates that were declining by approximately 3% annually. By 2002/03 when the City's traffic safety program first began, the City collision rate was 20%higher than the National rate and 66% higher than the California State rate. As shown in Figure 3.4 below, although traffic collision rates have been declining nationwide 2000, since the safety program began in 2002 the City's collision rate has declined more than twice as fast as either the national or state B5-5 J 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Report Page 6 decline and now in 2010 the City's collision rate is lowest on record and lower than both the National and State collision rates. This is a particularly significant achievement for the City because limited access highways and freeways, which have substantially lower collision rates than regular street systems, are included in State and National rates and inherently deflate those rates. Figure 3.4-Twelve Year Collision Rate Comparison 28.0 $ 26.0 __-._ _,•�— .... — .. A240 _ 75 20.0 '— � 18 ..._. -�` __ _ U.S. y .E '•—�_i_. �. 16.0 _•_ - .— — — --- California Y - - ._. -- a 14.0 _ �. — --- SLO 1999 2000 2001 : 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2003 2009 2010 .0. Year Beginning of Safav Program Notable Safety Improvements In 2010 Each year staff reports on traffic safety mitigation implemented as a result of the previous year's TSR. Pursuant to recommendations in the 2009 TSR, various safety improvements were implemented throughout the City during 2010. The most notable included four traffic signal improvements in the downtown and at Calle Joaquin & LOVR, five pedestrian & bicycle improvements, school zone improvements at Hawthorne, Pacheco, and Sinsheimer elementary, eleven roadway improvements, and seven sight distance improvements. Table 5.2 of the traffic safety report contains a summary of the completed improvements. Also, numerous other projects identified from the 2009 traffic safety report are currently under design or are in construction. Notable Enforcement Activities In 2010 Police Department staff increased enforcement activities and focused enforcement on areas identified in the 2009 TSR as having high collision rates. In 2010 the total number of hazardous citations increased by nearly 34%, two DUI checkpoints were conducted, and 590 seatbelt citations issued. Police Department staff also continued its child safety seat inspection and installation program, bicycle rodeo, impaired driver offender classes, and the Every Fifteen Minute program. Mitigation Strategies for the 2010 TSR Mitigation strategies for the high collision rate locations for 2010 are identified in Section 6 of the 2010 TSR. All of the mitigation measures are relatively low cost traffic improvements that will be completed using the annual traffic safety budget and implemented by staff. These include installation of additional signing and striping, miscellaneous visibility improvements, traffic control changes, and increased enforcement. Some of the notable locations and recommended mitigations include: B5-6 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Report Paoe 7 Monterey&Santa Rosa A/A-#I Pedestrian warning signs and audible push buttons installed in June of 2011. Ped-#1 Change left tum protected/permissive signal phasing to protected only on EB&WB approaches&Upgrade all 8"signal indications to 12". California&Monterey Bike-#2 Install painted bike lanes and intersection extensions. Broad&Marsh A/A-#3 Upgrade all 8"signal indications to 12". High&Higuera A/C-#1 Reconstruct & reconfigure intersection and signal as part of Mid-Higuera signal upgrade and paving project. Broad&Industrial A/C-#4 Upgrade all 8"signal indications to 12". Parker&South A/L-#1 Develop design options for turn restrictions at this intersection and begin public outreach for potentially affected properties. Osos&Pacific A/L-#3 Conduct all-way stop control warrant assessment in 2011 and proceed with necessary corrective measures. Marsh&Morro A/L-#4 Upgrade all 8"signal indications to 12". Calle Joaquin&LOVR 5+Left at Signal Change left tum protected/permissive signal phasing to protected only on EB&WB approaches Ranking Classification: (example:A/A is an Arterial/Arterial intersection)A-Arterial,C-Collector,L-Local Neighborhood Traffic Management Status In June 1998, the City Council adopted a Comprehensive Neighborhood Traffic Management (NTM) Program aimed at reducing traffic volumes and speeds on residential streets. The program offers different options to citizens wanting to implement traffic calming measures on their streets. The program identifies the petition process and neighborhood surveys that are used to demonstrate majority support for implementation of specific options. Current funding cycles permit the implementation of one major NTM project every one to two years. There are currently(4) neighborhoods in the NTM program. These neighborhoods include Pismo & Buchon Streets, Fixlini Street, South Chorro Street, and High Street. PismoBuchon Area NTM The PismoBuchon NTM project includes a portion of Johnson Avenue and is one of the largest and most complex NTM projects that the City has undertaken. In November 2009 and April 2010 the neighborhood voted on a draft Action Plan. The City Council approved the Action Plan in June 2010. The components of the plan include; road striping changes on both Johnson and Pismo, speed feedback signs on Johnson, bulbouts and a raised crosswalk at the intersection of Pismo/Toro and Buchon/Toro, along with a series of speed humps on Pismo Street and one speed hump on Islay Street. Construction of the Action Plan projects is currently underway and is expected to be completed by October of 2011. Fixlini Street NTM Residents on Fixlini petitioned for NTM in 2007 citing concerns of excessive speed, school traffic bypassing Johnson to access San Luis High School and a lack of contiguous sidewalks. Traffic study results indicate the average daily traffic volume is approximately 260 vehicles and that 1/3 of the traffic volume occurs during the high school commute time of 7:45 am-8:00 am. Preparation of an action plan for the Fixlini Street neighborhood is currently queued behind the PismoBuchon neighborhood. In the interim this neighborhood routinely has the City's speed B5-7 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Resort page 8 feedback trailer deployed. Once construction is completed in the Pismo/Buchon neighborhood, staff will begin working with the Fixlini neighborhood residents to develop an Action Plan. South Chorro Street NTM Residents of Chorro Street between Broad and Buchon Street petitioned for NTM in June 2009 citing concerns of excessive vehicle speeds and volumes. The results of a 2010 traffic study indicate that average daily traffic volumes and speeds exceed Circulation Element desired maximums by an average of 30%. Development of an Action Plan for the Chorro Street neighborhood will follow completion of other NTM projects that are currently in the queue, e.g. Pismo & Buchon and Fixlini. High Street NTM Residents of High Street petitioned for NTM in April 2011 citing concerns of excessive vehicle speeds and a lack of pedestrian crossings. The results of a 2011 traffic study indicate that average daily traffic volumes are consistent with Circulation Element desired maximums and that traffic speeds exceed the speed limit of 30 mph by more than 20% and Circulation Element desired maximums by 48%. Development of an Action Plan for the Chorro Street neighborhood will follow completion of other NTM projects that are currently in the queue. Return On Safety Program Investments The National Highway Traffic Safety Council provides estimates for the societal costs associated with motor-vehicle collisions, this information and reports can be access at www.nhsta.aov. These costs represent losses associated with wage and productivity, medical expenses, administrative expenses, motor-vehicle damage, employer costs, in addition to lost quality of life measures associated with deaths & injuries. Although these costs do not represent tangible monetary costs, it does provide a measure of the overall societal costs associated with traffic collisions and a valid measure for which to determine return on City's investment in the program. When the traffic safety program first began in 2002 the average annual societal cost of traffic collisions in the City was approximately $26.8 million dollars. Over the course of the ten years of this program that average annual societal cost has been reduced by approximately$6.1 million. The current annual cost of the program to the City is estimated at approximately $400,000 which includes both staffing and construction costs but does not include outside grant funding sources or projects completed as part of private development. Based on these estimates, the City's return from this program is approximately$15 to $1. FISCAL IMPACT All of the mitigation strategies identified the 2010 Traffic Safety Report will either be funded from the 2009-11 Financial Plan allocation of$25,000 annually for safety related purposes, or as part of other Capital projects and private development requirements. Focused enforcement will be accomplished within the Police Department's existing staffing and budget. Although many major safety projects have been completed and traffic collisions are at an all-time low, in order to continue to be successful, a prolonged commitment for both project funding and staff resources is necessary to properly implement safety mitigation and reduce collisions. Continued annual expenditure commitments will be necessary if it is the goal of the City and community to improve traffic, pedestrian and bicycle safety along the City's roadways. B5-8 l 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Resort Pa-ge 9 AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL OFFICE 2010 Annual Traffic Safety Report. T:\Council Agenda Reports\Pubfic Works CAR\201 I\Tmnsportation\2010 TSR\2010 Traffic Safety Report CAR docx B5-9